A Munster-based EuroMillions winner has said he never let a Lottery ticket worth €500,000 'out of his sight' while he waited a week for the snow to clear.

The father of three, who has chosen to remain anonymous, won the EuroMillions Plus jackpot on the draw of February 23.

However, he was unable to get to the National Lottery headquarters in Dublin for the last week due to the conditions.

“I kept the ticket in my work jacket during the day, and put it in the bedside locker every night. It wasn’t out of my sight for a minute!” he said.

And the unnamed winner was so determined to keep the news within his family that when he discovered he won, he had to wait for a visiting neighbour to leave before he told his family.

"On the day after the draw my daughter printed out the winning EuroMillions numbers. I was about to check them when a neighbor dropped into the house. So I locked myself into the bathroom, and couldn’t believe it when I realised I had won.

“I was determined that nobody outside the family knows about the win so I couldn’t wait for the neighbor to leave so I could let out a big cheer and celebrate with my wife!”

The man now says that he plans to help his three children get their foot on the property ladder with the windfall.

“I am so excited about this win because it means I can help my three children to get set up with their own houses," he said. "What a great way for me and my wife to spend this money. They are young people starting out in life and this will mean a lot to them.”

The couple also plan to take a family holiday with their children, the first in 20 years.